564PREVALENCE OF VARIOUS ENTEROCOCCAL INFECTIONS AND ITS ANTIBIOTIC SUSCEPTIBILITY WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO VANCOMYCIN AND HIGH LEVEL GENTAMICIN RESISTANCE IN A TERTIARY CARE HOSPITAL IN EASTERN INDIAEnterococcus species has recently become the major nosocomial pathogen with E. faecalis and E. faecium accounting up to 90% of the clinical isolates exhibiting resistance to many antimicrobials especially to beta lactams and glycopeptides antibiotics with increasing frequency. Thus proper identification of enterococci to species level and proper susceptibility testing are quite essential for management and prevention of these bacteria in healthcare facility. The present study was carried out to determine the species distribution and antimicrobial susceptibilities of enterococci isolated from clinical samples with special emphasis on detection of high level gentamycin resistant isolates (HLGR) in a tertiary care hospital of eastern India. Specimens were inoculated on blood agar. Species identification and susceptibility testings were done using standard protocols. Out of 100 Enterococcus species recovered during the study period, E. faecalis (70%) and E. faecium (16%) constituted the predominant isolates. Enterococci were most commonly isolated from urine samples. Resistance to vancomycin, nitrofurantoin and linezolid was shown by 10%, 15% and 04% of the isolates respectively. Prevalence of a wide variety of Enterococcus species in clinical samples together with their variable antimicrobial susceptibility emphasizes the need for routinely carrying out detailed speciation and in vitro susceptibility testing of them in the clinical bacteriology laboratory.kalidasrit77@gmail.comResearch742017Enterococci, Antimicrobial susceptibility,vancomycin resistant,HLGRKalidas Rit,Nupur PalAssociate professor, Department of Microbiology, Institute of Post-Graduate Medical Education & Research. 244 AJC Bose Road, Kolkata-700020, West Bengal, India,Assistant Professor, Department of Microbiology, Institute of Post-Graduate Medical Education & Research. 244 AJC Bose Road, Kolkata-700020, West Bengal, India.